Wednesday, July 21, 2010

In the face of Dutra's previous fabrications and implausible project proposals, they are now proposing another revised version of their asphalt plant operations:

Either

1. A 600+ ft. conveyor belt to carry aggregate and sand from Shamrock's existing sand and aggregate barge unloading site, just upstream from Dutra's site, to Dutra's asphalt factory. The conveyor belts would cut through Shamrock's previously required mitigation wetlands and over PG&E's high pressure gas transmission pipelines and easement. This arrangement would be a true eyesore and wildlife disruptor.

OR

2. Hauling the 500,000 tons/year of aggregate and sand from Shamrock's facility to Dutra's factory site with thousands of trucks, potentially operating 24/7, creating toxic and noxious diesel exhaust, noise, and bumper-to-bumper traffic at rush hour for people driving to or from Hwy. 101 on Petaluma Blvd. South.

AND

3. A Health Risk Analysis (HRA) prepared by Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), the regulatory agency that is supposed to provide air quality analyses and enforce standards, but which will be paid for this work by Dutra ONLY if their project is approved by the County.

AND

4. A Health Risk Analysis which so far has failed to measure the toxic, very small diesel exhaust particulate matter ("PM2.5"), which is a most dangerous pollution leading to cardiovascular disease, cancer and asthma, especially for children and people with breathing and circulatory problems.

AND

5. An Health Risk Analysis which doesn't comply with the newly approved regulations just adopted by the BAAQMD, which require cumulative analysis of sources of pollution within 1000 ft. of the Dutra property, including traffic on Hwy. 101 and on Shamrock's operations.Dutra's Asphalt Plant project application has been altered yet again on paper, in their attempts to slide past all the other huge problems they've run up against. They clearly hope to fool the Supervisors, public and county staff into believing that they are just an innocuous, small, family-owned company with a totally benign operation, suitable for locating adjacent to our Shollenberger Park, Petaluma River and Marsh, and near residents, businesses and tourists in Petaluma and Sonoma County.

Dutra has been wrong and misguided for the past 6 years - whether it's been their claims of no toxic blue-smoke fumes and no diesel exhaust impacts, their destructive impacts to the egret and heron rookery, Dutra's barge and tug intrusion into the river's navigable channel, their lying about the location of PG&E's pipelines, and a host of other problems - and it's time for the Supervisors to reject this hazardous shell-game, and end the Dutra Magic Show.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

We are honored to announce that the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment has awarded us a grant for continuing outreach and community work to Save Shollenberger Park and help move our community in a direction of environmental appreciation and respect. Read more about the great work the Rose Foundation does for California and our environment at http://www.rosefdn.org/index. Thanks to everyone for your help in preserving Petaluma's natural treasures and keeping the spotlight on this important cause to save Shollenberger Park. Your energy, enthusiasm and creativity are essential to our on-going campaign.

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Mission Statement

We are a group of ordinary citizens who enjoy open space, clean air, and community well being. We have joined together to preserve and protect Shollenberger Park and the Petaluma Wetlands for all of our families and for future generations.

We provide information and a forum for citizens to learn about our local environmental issues and work towards protecting our park. As a “Special Project” of the O.W.L. Foundation, (http://owlfoundation.net/OWL.htm), we are a non-profit organization and donations to support our activities are tax-deductible.